In New York, Obamacare has you covered — even if you’re dead

A New York comptroller’s audit has found that the state’s Obamacare exchange enrolled dead people for health insurance, paying out more than $300,000 in benefits in the process.

According to The Journal News, a White Plains, New York-based outlet, the audit identified 354 “deceased individuals that the state Health Department identified as active Medicaid recipients.” That number includes at least 21 beneficiaries who were dead before they were ever enrolled, Albany’s Time-Union reported:

Of $3.4 million in overpayments found by auditors, $325,030 in claims associated with 230 deceased New Yorkers identified as active Medicaid recipients was paid out, according to the audit. In total, 354 deceased New Yorkers were found to be enrolled in the system, with 21 of those people officially enrolled after they had died.

Excepting the already-dead enrollees, most of the coverage benefits were paid out in error because the New York State of Health System “did not conduct sufficient periodic verifications of enrollees’ life status to remove deceased individuals from active Medicaid enrollment,” the audit found.

The news that New York’s Obamacare program has provided healthcare payments for dead people came only a day ahead of a separate report on the impending collapse of Health Republic, one of the state’s biggest healthcare insurers.

According to The Journal News, Health Republic’s financial situation is “so bad, NY is shutting it down” as of Nov. 30, and patients are being advised to find alternative coverage within the next two weeks.

Health Republic handles about 20 percent of all health care plans on the state’s private market.

“[T]he state announced Friday [Oct. 30] that the ‘company’s financial condition is substantially worse than the company previously reported in its filings’ to the state Department of Financial Services,” the report states.

“… It was one of the nation’s 10 of 23 [Obamacare] co-ops that are either closing or closed.”

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